ty Durham, South London.
attempts to erode wages and conditions.
The South Yorks leg of the tour was organised by Women Against Pit Clasures activists, Ann Scargill and Betty Cook. They first came in contact with the Hormel strikers when they had attended, and Betty Heathfield, with Gwen White of thẹ Coal Prolect (The assists women get jobs in the American mines organises around issuc women miners). of LOUr of the Barbara Collette strikers' United Support Group in Austin Minnesota, told Socialist Action how close she felt to the Women Against Pit Closures movement. 'Their story is my story' she said.
There are indeed many parallels between the year-long miners' strike and the SILLIC Hormel. They have been faced by a vicious management, determined to break the power of the union. They have confronted the power of the state in the form of both the local police and the infamous STRIKING MEATPACKERS from the Spamproducing Hormel company in America's mid-west have just concluded a very successiul tour of Britain. They spent one week in Blackpool at the Labour Parsecond week travelling Yorks, Derbyshire, Notts The strikers have been out for 14 months, defending their union organisation and resisting company National Guard, who have tried to break the pickets.
Twenty-seven pickets were arrested near the factory gate in Austin on 6 February alone. A further 18 on 11 April. Ray Rogers, an advisor to the strikers was charged with 'criminal syndicalism'!
Another parallel with the miners has been the enormous wave of solidarity which has surrounded the strikers. nation-wide campaign has emerged with strikers touring the four corners of the United States. Financial solidarity has poured Hormel products are being boycotted.
national leadership rs, the national leadership the and Com- the United Food merica Workers has only failed to give backing to the strikers, It nas actively attempted to sabotage the strike.
In January UFCW boss Bill Wynn publicly demanded SUNKENS return to work and accept an orler lney a lwice jected. In March the strike was declared unofficial, strike pay was stopped and the union leaders ordered an end to the boycott of Hormel products.
Finally • 11 the UFCW actually strikers branch, into suspends the branch officers eplacing them with an ap pointed trustee Joseph 1 lansen. According to the terms of the trusteeship, Hansen need not call membership meetings and had full power to rule the branch as a dictator tor 18 months.
When the branch officers nion leadership took ne union leadershi] hem to court. On 2 June US District Judge Edward Devitt ruled the trusteeship valid issued a court order requiring the branch oficers to relinquish refrain from any strikess. their tivitv and turn over to the trustee the branch's property, including offices records and finances. They would be held to be in contempt if they failed to com he strikers were determined to carry on despite the court ruling. Hundreds of with the National Labour them filed a Relations Board to recertify themselves as They called 'Original P-9' No soone were the strikers ejected their premises by order than the Labour relations board re jected the 'Original P-9 petition on the grounds that the name was to close to that the trusteed branch.
The name was changed to North American Meat NAMPU strikers are also determinThe 1985-86 by Fred Halsteac from Other • BOOKS, Led to wir and that means extending the strugThal WaN why they came to Britain.
Their story won them tremendous wherever they spoke, SEL sla they crammed many meetings.
in Austin, Minnesota The full story of the Hormel strike is told in this pamphlet by US socialist Fred Halstead. It can be ordered PO Box 50, London NI 2XP, price 70p plus 13p postage (bulk orders on enquiry).
Socialist Action 24 Oct 1986 WA